Berks County parcel search

How do I find out who owns a property in Berks County?

Type the address in the search above. The record shows the owner of record from the county's assessment file, the address the tax bill goes to, and the other parcels in the same name. A deed recorded this week takes a few weeks to reach the county's file.

Can I search by the owner's name?

Yes. Type a last name or a business name and the suggestions list every parcel the county carries under it. The advanced search narrows a name to one town.

Advanced search →

What is a parcel number, and where do I find it?

Berks County gives every lot a 14-digit parcel number, 17 for a condominium unit, and the first two digits are the municipality's code. It is printed on the tax bill and on the deed, and every record here shows it under Where it is.

Is there a map of every parcel in Berks County?

Yes. The parcel map draws the county's lot lines over the map at street level, with the address on each lot, and a tap opens the parcel's record. Every town is one tap away, and the newest sales open on it.

Berks County parcel map →

Why is the assessed value so much lower than the price?

Berks County has not reassessed since the 1994 base year, so assessments sit far below today's prices. The state's current ratio for Berks puts market value at about 3.12 times the assessed value, and every record shows that estimate next to the assessment.

Are deeds public, and how do I get a copy?

Yes. Every deed is recorded with the Recorder of Deeds at 633 Court Street in Reading and can be read free in the Recorder's online index. Plain copies are 50 cents a page plus $2, certified copies $10 plus $2. Each sale on a record here carries the instrument number the index asks for.

How to get a copy of a Berks County deed →

Where are the county's own records and offices?

The Assessment office and the Recorder of Deeds share the county services center at 633 Court Street in Reading, open weekdays 8 to 5; the Assessment office answers at 610-478-6262. The county's own property records search is propertyrecords.berkspa.gov, which asks every visitor to agree to a disclaimer first; the Recorder's online index is berks.pa.publicsearch.us, free to read on screen; the county's map layers and open data are on opendata.berkspa.gov.

How Berks County property records work →

How is a Berks County property tax bill figured?

The assessed value times the county, municipal and school district rates, each set in mills. Every record shows the three lines and the total for the year, and each town page carries its rates.

How Berks County property tax works →

Which properties sold in Berks County this week?

The county posts a deed to its file three to four weeks after it is recorded, so the newest full week is the one to read: how many sold, the median price, the ten highest sales and the sales by town, with the weeks before it. The count is by parcel, the way the county's file keeps it: a condominium unit or a home in a land-lease community is filed under its parent parcel, so its sale is on that parcel's record and not in the week's count. Each town page lists its own sales newest first.

Berks County property sales, week by week →